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Folks, please remember that this is the product review forum. Before posting here, please read this sticky: http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...-YOU-START general apnea discussion should be in the main forum and off topic chit-chat should be in the off topic forum.

INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.

Like any mask, what works for one may not work for another, keep trying.
Hopefully this review will help you decide whether or not you would like to try it.

A. The overall value of the product (what you get for how much it costs)
Received at no additional cost from DME with new AirCurve 10 VAuto

B. Whether the product worked as advertised.
Worked as stated.

C. What you liked about the product - be specific - with details.
The best thing, NO LEAKS with a FULL BEARD. I am currently a mouth breather and was searching for a way to control that. I have a FULL BEARD. This is a Medium Mask, I have used a large in every other mask I have used. The "tight" fit helps with sealing mostly "around" the beard. The Mfg calls it a minimal contact FFM, and the description is a good one. The mask seals two areas separately (they are internally connected), the Nose/nares, and the mouth. The nose rests on top of the nasal piece and seals almost like nasal pillows with an opening the nose sits on, VERY comfortable, the oral portion seals around the mouth, not the chin, with the lower seal just below the lip and the vertical portion just outside the lip line. This configuration avoids the hairy predicament those of us with beards must contend with.

D. What you disliked about the product - again, be specific.
This mask has a tight fit, any smaller and I would have to use a larger size. But it is the tight fit that makes it work for me. I have some minor difficulty clipping the lower straps on. These NEED to be disconnected to either put on or take off this mask.

E. Any suggestions you can offer to readers if they use this product themselves.
To make the initial adjustments I held the mask on manually while testing the mask for leaks then adjusted the straps to match the tightness I needed to stop leaks.

The Amara View in medium is the mask I have currently. It fits very well, minimal adjustments needed to stop leaks after I found out what the top and lower sets of straps needed to be set at. I like it enough I'm not looking for another make/model to replace it. The mask itself is light and aptly named View. I can read with glasses if needed while wearing this mask. I do find the latching clips are a bit fragile and fussy at times when it comes to locking in place. But that's my only negative. Mine tends to vent forward instead of as some others report of venting upward.

Sarcasm is a hobby of mine. I am not sarcastic on serious issues, implied or otherwise.

I recently tried out the Amara View. I was looking for a new mask as I am a side sleeper and this one looked promising. I found it very comfortable to wear. Once you get the seal right you don't even feel the mask. It was wonderful for side sleeping. Unfortunately I had a few issues with it. As others have stated the vent blew air into my eyes so in the morning I would wake with puffy eyes. Even worse for me was the fact that for some reason this mask affected my sinuses. I would wake with terrible sinus pressure and a headache. For this reason I had to sadly give up on this mask.

I've started out on this mask and also had some issues with leaks initially. I think I have those nailed down now. I followed the guide about using a single finger with pressure against the mask to see how much pressure is required to seat the mask properly. I'm sure it will still be a constant adjustment/battle.

The vent air you mention: I thought air going into my eyes was from the vent, but after careful examination, the vent air does not shoot into your face. If you're not careful, the areas where the mask contacts the cheeks will leak slightly causing the air into the eyes. I found the only fix to that so far was just constant adjustment of the straps by tiny tiny amounts until it didn't do it.

My problem is, currently, my left nostril seems to be slightly inflamed, but I don't know how the mask could be doing that. I guess it's making contact with my nose in a strange way...

Anyways, the mask itself is pretty awesome. It's light, small footprint for a FFM and seems fairly comfortable. Since I haven't tried other masks, I can't compare. The hook thingys are probably its worst part of the design. At night after going to the bathroom, holy hell is it a struggle to get the bloody clips engaged. They're not as intuitive as I'd like. But, if I were rating this mask, I'd give it a 4 out of 5 stars

I've used both. I experienced much more leaks with the Amara view. The F20 was a great mask (the best FFM I tried) but for me, the Airfit P10 pillows are the most comfortable solution. Just my own opinion though, there are many folks that are really happy with the Amara View as well as the F20. You really need to try the Amara View to decide what works best for you.

I also have the Amara View and F20. I like the AmaraView because there is no seal pressing next to my eyes as with the F20. Unfortunately I frequently had significant leak issues with the AmarVFiew around the nose area. I seldom have leaks with the F20. The magnetic clips on the F20 are much easier to connect than the clips on the AmaraView.

If I could control the leaks I would use the AmaraView in spite of the clips.

I've been using the Amara View for a few years now -- it's worked great for me and multiple times over the past few months, I sometimes lie there before I fall asleep at how amazing the mask is in that it "disappears" and I don't even feel anything on my face -- no mask, no pressure, nothing. It's a great product.

I also tried the F20 for a brief session...mostly because I like trying new things (the Amara View was the first and only )mask I've had and used! and I was intrigued by the magnetic straps. Unfortunately, the session was short lived as I couldn't find a fit that didn't actually pinch my nostrils closed! I found it extremely difficult to breathe clearly through my nose with it on as the pillow would almost act like a clamp on my nose. The magnetic straps are brilliant though.

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INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.